The present invention relates to an improvement in the manner by which fishing floats are attached to the fishing line in order to suspend bait at the desired depth. More specifically, to a manner of attaching a float to a fishing line so that it may freely pass along a predetermined section of the fishing line in a manner that allows it to be changed without the need of disassembling the slip line apparatus.
Fishing is an extremely popular form of recreation for millions of people today. A significant portion of the fishing population employs fishing floats frequently in their fishing activities. The use of a fishing float accomplishes two specific purposes. The first of these is to control the location of the offered bait in relation to the float and the bottom of the body of water. The benefits that this technique provides to the fisherman is to place the bait in the exact location within the body of water where the fish are most likely to be found. Thus, in certain circumstances the use of a fishing float increases the fisherman's chances of catching fish.
The second purpose of using a fishing float is for the monitoring of the line as they provide a good indication of the presence of a fish at the end of the line. This occurs because as a fish takes the bait, it causes the float to bob up and down on the surfaces of the water thereby alerting the fisherman to the presence of the fish. This allows the fisherman to set the hook at the proper time and reel the fish into the boat or onto shore.
While the use of a fishing float offers many advantages to the fisherman, they also suffer from a number of shortcomings that limit their usefulness. The first of these is that the fishing float imputes a degree of unnatural resistance at the point of the bait which can lessen its effectiveness as it can discourage a fish from taking the bait. In order to counteract this limitation, fisherman often attempt to tailor the size or style of the float being used to the specific fishing conditions or species of fish being sought. While this approach does lessen the impact of the float on the performance of the bait, it does not provide a means of entirely eliminating the resistance of the float and it can be time consuming and laborious and can therefore detract from the overall fishing experience.
An additional problem presented by the use of a fishing float is that it can make it more difficult to cast and retrieve the fishing line and bait. This problem is a result of the necessity of attaching the float to the fishing line at a predetermined distance from the bait. This situation often resulted in a relatively long section of fishing line between the float and the lure or bait. However, the attachment of the float made it impossible to retrieve this section of fishing line all the way back onto the fishing reel. This situation often resulted in a long section of line that had to be considered in both the casting and retrieval processes which also detracted from the fishing experience.
There have been numerous attempts to find a solution to the problems presented by the use of fishing floats. These generally involve a float device that is capable of sliding along the fishing line between the lure or bait at the terminal end of the line and a float stop which is attached to the fishing line at the desired location. This method of attachment allows the float to travel along the length of this section of line depending upon which part of the fishing process one is engaged in. When the lure and bait is properly deployed, the float slides up the line and engages the stop which in turn suspends the lure at the desired depth. Conversely, when the line is reeled in the float is free to pass down the line until it engages the lure thereby allowing the line to be fully retrieved. However, this solution still suffers from the limitation of requiring the fisherman to disassemble the entire float and lure assembly to alter the size or style of the float being used. As a consequence of this situation, a better solution to the limitations of the fishing float is still needed.
Finally, the use of a fishing float is often enhanced by the attachment of a light to the float. The use of the light allows the fisherman to employ the advantages of the fishing float after nightfall by providing a means of visibly monitoring it after dark. However, the attachment of the light to the float can be problematic as it may interfere with the float's ability to slide along the fishing line. Thus, while the attachment of a light to the float provides some advantages it also has its limitations as it can adversely affect the fishing float's slip function.
Another common problem associated with the use of slip fishing floats is encountered while ice fishing. This problem stems from the formation of ice at the point where the fishing float engages the fishing line. The ice can act to tie the line and float together thereby eliminating the advantages offered by the use of a slip float. The reason that this occurs is that even inside of a heated ice fish house the surface of the water tends to freeze over time resulting in the above described situation. Thus, while the use of slip fishing floats can provide benefits in ice fishing, their design requires constant maintenance to ensure their proper operation.
Therefore, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide a means of attaching a fishing float to a fishing line in such a manner so that it may be easily and quickly attached and removed without the need of disassembling the entire fishing apparatus. Additionally, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide such a means of attaching a fishing float to a fishing line that would allow the fishing float to freely slide along a predetermined section of the fishing line defined by the fishing apparatus. It can also be seen that it would be desirable to provide such a means of attaching a fishing float to a fishing line that would allow for the attachment of a night fishing light in such a manner that would not interfere with the fishing float's ability to slide along the predetermined section of fishing line. Finally, it can be seen that it would be desirable to provide such a means of attaching a slip fishing float to a fishing line that would avoid the freeze up problems associated with the use of fishing floats in ice fishing situations.